Chicago poke bowl restaurant opening in downtown Minneapolis

Chicago-based Aloha Poke Co. will open a skyway restaurant in downtown Minneapolis at 811 Lasalle Ave. by the end of the year.

A typical poke bowl includes tuna or salmon along with veggies and rice or noodles.

The restaurant chain, which specializes in the Hawaiian raw-fish dish poke, is in the midst if a nationwide expansion. It has locations in the works for Milwaukee, Southern California, Florida and Washington D.C.

Aloha Poke is a fast-casual style restaurant where diners build customizable poke bowls with tuna, salmon or tofu. The bowl is topped with various vegetables and sauces.

Aloha Poke launched its first restaurant in March 2016 and has since opened several in the Chicago area. The restaurants are all company owned.

“We believe that Aloha Poké Co.’s bowls are really unique, so we’re looking forward to bringing our product to so many markets and giving people more options,” Aloha Poke co-founder Zach Friedlander said in a statement.

Aloha Poke is one of several Chicago restaurants to expand into the Twin Cities recently. Earlier this summer, Roti Modern Mediterranean opened in IDS Center’s Crystal Court. Portillo’s Hot Dogs and Giordano’s Pizza are also opening restaurants across the metro.